#top form ep7

[gunsatthaphan]

(♡⩊♡)

[zo1nkss]

I want to talk about this kiss so, so, so badly. I literally can't stop thinking about it; it plays on loop in my mind 25/8.

(gif courtesy of @tortibomb - couldn't find it in the gif search so I'll credit this way.)

Quick TW because I will be discussing DV in this analysis, but only briefly in my 3rd point.

This is hands down my favorite kiss in the entire series so far. There are so many layers to their exchange here. It's so brief, but just from that we can conclude several things.

Before I dive in, I just want to touch on what this scene even represents within the plot. Akin has just been through something utterly devastating. From thinking he did something unforgiveable to realizing he was literally assaulted over the span of, what, a few days? A week? Considering we picked up right where we left off, I doubt it could have been more than 3 days, but I haven't always been the best at following timeframes so I can't be certain. But in this scene, the last person to put his hands on Akin's body in even remotely the same way was violating his right to consent. The stark difference between that, and Akin being fully conscious and welcoming every touch Jin offers him is undeniable. They are taking back his body together. Taking back his autonomy and consent. Taking back his security and sense of safety. That fact is integral to what I'm about to say.

First of all, can we talk about the way Jin physically handled him in this moment? That is a commanding action, yet still such a gentle and loving touch. We can feel a sense of reverence in the way he directs Akin's movement. He's not being forceful or aggressive; the only compelling emotion behind this is desperation and thats clear in the very motion of his hand.

My second point is Akin's level of comfort with being touched like this by Jin. He goes willingly, without even a moment of resistence. Not only does he allow his body to be manipulated at Jin's will, but through microexpressions we can see that he's actually enjoying it. He likes it when Jin tells him what to do or where to go. Likes giving up control, even of his own body, and allowing this man to do what he wants. To have that level of comfort and trust in someone after what Akin has just been through absolutely speaks volumes.

That fact alone brings us right to my third point, which is the amount of trust Akin has in Jin to not only allow this to happen but to like it. Any DV survivor can probably tell you that a hand on your throat means you're 3x more likely to die in an abuse situation. The fact that Akin shows no signs of fear or resistence, there's no moment of hesitation, there's no pause to remind himself where he is or who he's with. His eyes are closed, his mouth is open, and he responds instantaneously when Jin pushes his chin. He has absolute faith in this man's intentions. He knows without a shadow of a doubt that Jin would never, could never, lay a violent or aggressive hand on him. If anything, he is comforted by the way Jin puts his hands on him. He welcomes him without fear or insecurity. Not only craves, but revels in the way Jin touches him.

And we can absolutely trace back their interactions and understand exactly why. There has never once been a moment when Jin so much as expressed himself loudly. He's never raised his voice, never spoken with force, never made Akin feel unsafe or insecure in any way. Jin has genuinely earned the right to touch Akin in whatever way he pleases, thoughtless of the effect it could have, because he has shown time and time again that his hands will never be used to cause harm to Akin. They will only ever show his love and devotion. And the fact that Akin has absolute faith in that is really such a beautiful thing.

In conclusion, this is - in my opinion - the most telling and revealing kiss they have shared. Jin loves him absolutely, and Akin trusts that love without a shadow of doubt. They really have built a solid foundation to develop this relationship on, and I won't be surprised if it's completely unshakeable from this day on. I don't think Jin is going to doubt Akin's faithfulness again after this, and Akin is certainly never going to question Jin's willingness to admit when he's wrong. I really feel like those two facts are expressed so openly through this specific kiss.

I don't really know how to end analytic posts bc I haven't done this in over a year but thats all I wanted to say. Thanks for coming to my ted talk or whatever xD

[scarefox]

time for Smart to be babygirl

[finally-im-home]

I love you Jun?????? 😱😱

Akin skipped steps and just leapt straight to LOVE🫠😭😭❤️❤️

[mooninagust]

no top form set this week ! ill watch the ep after ep 7 is out so next weekkk

[awesomesnailguy]

Overanalyzing SM's skill icon/Fount brainrot

Credits to fandom wiki for most of the source images, others are from ingame screenshots :)

Looking at SM's skill icon and this Fount CG side by side, they feel very similar pose- and framing-wise:

Majority remainder of yap below the cut, beware of long post :p

In most in-game depictions of SM, the artists tend to put his hair at a 3/4 angle, even when he's meant to be facing forward like in the character menu or a cutscene. Idk how to explain it with words, but basically they always put his hair off to the side like so:

This is probably just to make sure his silhouette remains consistent across all depictions of him, since the Asymmetrical Hair is one of the most distinctive parts of his design. But! This makes it even more interesting that they chose to make him (or at least his hair shape) very Round and Symmetric in his skill icon? When the (iirc) only other time he's been drawn symmetrically in official art is as the Fount?

Another note about his skill icon: the way they positioned SM's collar thing(? don't know what it's called) and his arms makes it look a lot like Fount's accessory:

I would not be surprised if this was intentional as well :p

All this considered, it feels like SM hasn't completely moved on from his time as the Fount. Not to say he wants to become the Fount again, but that he hasn't been able to sever his current identity from his past one. Some of the Fount's mannerisms still live on in him after all this time. This point comes back in his dialogue in Ep2 and Ep7-8 where he constantly questions and debates with the protagonists, something that would come naturally to a scholar/academic (There's more evidence supporting this idea, might make a post compiling those someday)

Another angle worth approaching, though, is- what if this wasn't meant to depict SM retaining traits from the Fount, but rather the transitional period between his identity as the Fount and the Master of Deceit?

(Puts on tinfoil hat) Back to the skill icon and CG comparison, SM's icon is missing a lot of the traits you can see in his normal design, such as the white right sleeve and his hair color split into blue on top/dark bottom. These *could* be shortcuts taken for the sake of simplifying the icon, but when they went to the effort of including his sleeve stripes and exact shape of the Souljam (despite it being half hidden by the larger eye icon in front) and also the ten million eyes in the background, I'm not sure if they know what the word "simplify" means (read this in a joking, light-hearted tone, with a slight hint of concern for the artists' wrist health)

The exclusion of the special sleeve color makes him look much more symmetrical overall, & the removal of his normal hair color now makes his icon hair look a lot more like the Fount's. Despite the design in his icon being more similar to current SM than Fount overall, there are still some missing design elements that suggest he hasn't fully become the Master of Deceit at this point in time.

If SM's icon is meant to depict a half-corrupted Fount, it makes the parallels between it and the CG even more interesting though. Both versions of Fount have their eyes closed, head tilted up slightly, smiling, but the circumstances couldn't have been more different. CG Fount looks wise, tranquil, trustworthy; generally just a fairly put together guy. Rays of light emanating from him as he presents the light of knowledge to the world: but the light rays in the CG look false, metallic, as if there's already Something Wrong hiding beneath the Fount's peaceful facade. Skill Icon Fount looks happy. He's plunged the world around him into darkness with nothing but his own power. The eyes surrounding him in the background, representing his countless lies? The eyes on his hair making eye contact with them, attempting to form an illusion of companionship?

The lighting of the icon still presents him as the only source of light in a darkened world, but it feels more like a spotlight now, focused on his face and himself alone, rather than radiating out from him onto the receiving audience of knowledge-seekers. Maybe his conjured Other Realm eyes are his audience now. He doesn't need anyone else but himself (or at least that's what he wants to believe)

Im going insane

[rootspiral]

Agatha All Along deep dive: episode 4 part 2

(Wandavision entries: [1][2][3])

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2][3][4] ep2 [1][2][3][4] ep3 [1][2][3] ep4 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][+1] ep5 [1][2][3][4][5] ep6 [1][2][3] ep7 [1][2][3][4][5][6] ep8 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] ep9 [1][2][3][4][5][6])

THE LITTLE FLOWER POPPIN. THE M'LADY

seems like agatha is having An Emotion

but look! look! rio is once again being super special extra on purpose!! because if she just strolled in agatha would be overwhelmed and run away again. so what does rio do??? she corners her with a grand zombie entrance!!! the more over the top she acts, the more agatha is in her element and comfortable interacting. and in this case, angry is a better start than sad. all part of rio's Brilliant 66-Steps-Plan To Win Her Wife Back™ (or was it 666?)

her face omg

oooh are you mad??? are you big mad at little ol' me???????

agatha is like nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope

imagine being aubrey plaza and being born so effortlessly cool. she's cool even when she's awkward dear lord

jen and alice: kinda stunned by both her hotness and her weirdness

lilia: VADE RETRO SATAN (lilia's spider senses are already tingling)

will I ever be over the fact that Death is just one particularly powerful green witch?? that she's a gentle if odd girl who grows plants and flowers and mushrooms and is called the River of Life??? that she is the embodiment of life in all her forms? that decay and regrowth are all part of the same natural cycle? that the hardest and most inexplicable thing a living being can go through is also the most reassuringly organic and normal???

have I already said "i love you patti lupone" today?

we're off to see the wizarrrrd. her cute peter pan outfit!

what do we think, billy? does she want to talk about it, or does she have the emotional maturity of a baby ostrich?

same girls, same

whoa there ladies, calm down. I'm already taken

lilia is also having an Emotion. it must be pretty weird to realize that your mortal foe is this hot

alice going NOPE when she sees her mom's house. the leaves are red alice, honey. it's your turn.

(does the back of rio's jacket look like a ribcage?)

it's going to be fine baby. your friends are all here. you can do this. deep breaths.

fire moon! fire moon! fire moon! oh this is my favorite trial

*grabs the mike* WOULD

from right to left: would, would, would, would, would, oh hi joe

rio: BITCH I AM?!?!?!?!?!?!? (everyone say thank you costume department)

the Road isn't subtle, BILLY.

sure, there wasn't enough sexual tension already, let's add side boobs, shall we? and rio being like hey agatha, hey agatha, hey. guess what. I'm here again agatha. you're not gonna get rid of me this time agatha.

I keep thinking that every reflection agatha comes across is a "te veo". and even when rio isn't there she is watching from mirrors and from puddles.

OH MY GAWD AGATHA how can you expect me to cope when you look around to make sure nobody is watching and then you lean in so so so sclose and then you say no with such a deep soulful voice and so much intimacy and such quiet anger and not one lil hint of clownery. I AM ABOUT TO GO FERAL

agatha around rio is like, mind screaming in anguish and body screaming in horny. lethal combination

lilia who's been trying and failing for centuries and centuries to come to terms with the violence human beings inflict on whoever is different

if there is one thing a broadway pro is trained to do is making people cry while wearing increasingly stupid wigs

JEN SEEING MASKS BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHO HIDES BEHIND THE MONSTER THAT BOUND HER

fletwood mac?!?!!?!?!?!?!? in this economy?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I cannot handle much more of this, my emotions are raw and fragile and tender as it is already!!!!!!!!

oh, alice.

well this episode is making me feel like agatha: sad and horny. weird vibe but okay.

go to episode 4 part 3

[goldfishontheceiling]

"Alastor is just using Rosie" NUH UH whips out the list

1. He is capable of making friends, as seen with Mimzy. So it's not that hard to believe that he can have another friend if one (cough cough MIMZY cough) just comes around when she needs something. Mimzy doesn't even benefit him in anyway, yet he doesn't cut her off, which shows he can make friends.

2. Aside from the cannibals in ep7, what else could he get from her? I mean she does recommend him deals sometimes, but anyone can do that. If his true goal was control over the cannibals then their bond would feel a lot more shallow, like ep1-ep5ish with Charlie.

3. If Alastor was using Rosie for deal recommendations (since she gives him "prime pickings for a deal to be made"), then why not just do so with a mutalistic relationship instead of having to form that bond?

4. He bleat like a fawn. If he was acting, he wouldn't let himself lose composure for an act.

5. They both kinda get close to eachother in a way they don't with anyone else. SHE PICKS HIM UP AND SPINS HIM AROUND AND HE DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT. Sure, he hugged Mimzy, but if she ever did that? She would most likely be dead.

6. If anyone else openly/jokingly insulted Alastor, he would go all scary demon ahhhhhhhh. But Rosie? Perfectly fine.

7. The way he talks to Rosie is different to the way he talks to Charlie. With Charlie he's a little bitch sometimes (oh Charlie you look an absolute mess!) and he kinda takes every chance he can to be a little bitch while still being nice and showing he's important.

8. Rosie knows things about Alastor that he hasn't even figured out (I know your an ace in the hole!), and for Rosie to know these things, that would require Alastor to open up about himself, which he doesn't like doing because "must be mysterious radio deer man." Even to Charlie, who he does have a bond with, SHE STILL JUST THINKS OF HIM AS "MYSTERIOUS RADIO DEER MAN"

9. Hating someone together is one of the easiest ways to start a friendship, especially in hell, where people hating each other is really common (Susan? Susan)

10. If he truly was manipulating all of his friends, he's a sinner, he still has a humanish mind. Humans crave bonds with other people as part of their instincts. And you could just get fake ones, but if you're the manipulator in that situation you'll know it's all fake and it won't leave you fufilled. Which is why having one or two genuine friends (Rosie/Mimzy) would have to be a requirement.

11. He has manipulated other Overlords in the past, like Vox. But with Vox, they would realistically never get along. Same with Vaggie, Angel Dust, etc, he just wouldn't be able to form a true bond with/a very strong both with those people. So yes, he's manipulating/has manipulated them. Rosie on the other hand? They're both cannibals from similar time periods, with similar interests, and they hate the same people.

12. Rosie is smart. She easily reads Charlie, a stranger, like a book. And if she's known Alastor for years (which she most likely has), she knows how to read him past that stupid permanent smile. So even if he was manipulating her, she would know.

13. He HATES Susan, and Vox, and probably some other people I can't think of off the top of my head. He can't stand them. So if he hated Rosie? He wouldn't be able to fake a bond like the one they have.

14. His pupils dilate around Rosie, which is a sign that you like/love whatever it is that you are looking at

Look at these

COMPARED TO THESE

AND IT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN IT'S JUST THEM TWO

15. Rosie agrees with him when he says that Charlie is "filled with potential that I could guide," so she knows that he's using her for that kinda stuff. With that moment it shows that she understands that Alastor is helping Charlie with her dream in exchange. I swear I had more thoughts on this one but then I got distracted with finding screenshots for 14-

Bonus reason that's more silly then reason: THAT DANCE IN READY FOR THIS IS TOO COORDINATED THEY HAD TO HAVE PRACTICED IT

[licoryce]

I would like to hear more Smilk x timekeeper propaganda

the people hunger for timemilk food that only i can feed them.. but alr alr, if you insist anon. ill yap for you. can't guarantee any of this will make sense though

so im insane and looked at f0unt of knowledge's statues for too long and started thinking he had too many similarities to TK so... put them side by side and got this. hopefully my handwriting is legible lmfao

with ep7-8 of BY giving canon SM time manipulation capabilities, him manipulating/tormenting PV VERY similarly to how TK did with croiss, both being released on the 4th anni of their respective games, and his title screen theme sounding almost exactly like hers just less sharp (ik they r both waltzes and that would explain half of it but go listen to both of their themes and tell me the rhythm of it doesn't sound the same. you can't.) it's started making me think its gotta be intentional

i mean, we are confirmed to be getting TK in kingdom 2026, and SM having canon connections with her would explain a bit.. i can't say i understand why he has time magics on top of all his other abilities, but i guess PV did also unintentionally create a timeloop in the vanilla castle that lasted all the way up to castle in the sky (ep9 or 10?? i dont fully emember lol) so im safely assuming he was able to do that due to his connection to SM via the souljam.. but add TK's potential influence and both of them at least being aware of each other's existence canonically to the mix... cough cough "its only a matter of time" in WA's update 👀 (ty oomf for reminding me ab that ur getting so many treats)

i think im getting side tracked oughh

...right, right. timemilk.

with all the things i rambled about just now, i think they're bound to at least be intrigued by each other. but. ok ok, ill admit, i DO think they're inherently unhealthy. honestly same with any SM ship, and most including TK. these 2 aren't even close to normal or stable on their own, god forbid they're left alone in the same room together for even a second bc even idk what they'd do and im their self-proclaimed ceo.

but i can see TK looking down on SM/thinking she's better than him because he isn't capable of even half the things she's able to do w/ time, and essentially playing with him whenever she's given the opportunity to interact with him. engaging with SM solely for her own entertainment. challenging him to board games just to cheat her way to victory over and over again, watching him slowly go from being impressed with her to infuriated realizing it is LITERALLY impossible to win against her.

TK enjoys all the reactions she's able to get out of SM, and strives to get more, to crack new ones out of him. she decides she likes the show he puts on just for her, and decides she wants to see just how it will play out. no because she genuinely likes him of course. no, no, its allll for the entertainment. being able to watch him cling to such petty wants like the company she gives him even in her mild torment, or the occasional praise, and how he hides his disappointment and hurt on the days she opts not to show herself to him under his bravado. its fun watching a fallen god scramble for her attention in the way that he does, especially since that attention is often in the form of mockery/tricks/threats. its fun. HE'S fun. nothing more than that

i think im all yapped out for now... take 2 headcanons from me that idk if ive shared b4 because everyone needs timemilk duets beamed into their mind:

They like to dance as a passtime. Waltzing, usually, but they also tapdance^^. They've composed a few songs to sing together while they dance also - specifically for those waltzes - and the rhythm of their songs are always changing

TK has sent each of SM's detachable body parts (his arms, his legs, his head, etc etc) backwards in time at least once. Who knows where all of them have been...

anyways yea. timemilk KISSING is extremely real and true dont listen to anyone else

[steddieunderdogfics]

he could be brave by cuips_not_cute

@cuips-not-cute

Rating: Explicit

29,311 words, 10/10 chapters

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Tags: Getting Together, Pining, so much pining, Mutual Pining, And Then Some, First Kiss, Making Out, Lots of that, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Gay Eddie Munson, steve is lowkey kinda smooth?, and eddie is a disaster because of it, Post-Canon, post s4 v1, but not post v2, Post Vecna, everyone lives because I say so, robin and eddie are bros, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, First Time, Rimming, They're Switches Bitches!, Blowjobs, handjobs, Hair-pulling, Literal Sleeping Together, as well as the slutty kind of sleeping together, Bottom Steve Harrington, Top Steve Harrington, Bottom Eddie Munson, Top Eddie Munson, Not Actually Unrequited Love, canon compliant up to ep7 and then i make shit up, Period-Typical Homophobia, eddie "heart-eyes" munson, Protective Steve Harrington, Recreational Drug Use, Shotgunning, they're moron4moron, steve is very very stupid and eddie wants to see him naked, background ronance (used as a plot device bc girls), 69 (Sex Position), (Nice), uh, Grinding, Hickies, finally decided on a chapter count guys, Anal Fisting, Steve Harrington Has a Praise Kink, eddie is all too happy to tell him he's pretty, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, hate that tag, Fuck u Duffers, Multiple Orgasms, this is so soft actually, Porn With Very Little Plot, angst and pining then just filth, but it's all very tender, Slow Burn, for a bit then it's like 20k words of porn, Eddie Munson is a Sweetheart, Hand & Finger Kink, Happy Ending

Summary:

Eddie Munson isn't very good at puzzles. Well. He can make them, sure, in the form of weeks-long campaigns for his bandmates and a ragtag group of now sophomores he'd come to adore. He's great at making them. Great at making villains that his party thought they'd had figured out, beaten, only to make a quick 180 and have them come back from the dead for a final, earth-shattering fight. Yeah. He can make them. What Eddie Munson can't do when it comes to puzzles, is figure them the fuck out. Especially, it seems, when the puzzle comes in the form of a boy one year younger than him and slightly shorter when you don't count his mass of gorgeous hair that makes him, falsely, look taller than Eddie. This puzzle had saved the world with him, had saved him when he was sure he was a goner. The puzzle's name, of course, is Steve Harrington. King Steve, to many, Hawkins High's golden boy, rich and charming and apparently, a fucking badass. Eddie never stood a chance.

Thanks for the rec! This recommendation is apart of our Writer's Wednesday! All of the recs today are written by @cuips-not-cute. Want to nominate an author? Fill out this form!

You can submit fic recs to our asks or the submission box!

[gunsatthaphan]

(„• ֊ •„)

[zo1nkss]

watch the next episode start with a little jingle and then the lyrics are "JOHNNY GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER" jump cut to Jin dressed as a raindeer running something over in his car

[scarefox]

interesting

[summerofofelia]

Imagine my surprise when I finished ep7 of Top Form and then saw episode 8 also available. They just randomly aired two episodes this week? I was so confused at first. Also haven’t seen people talking about ep8 much yet???

[princessfroslass]

Huskerdust's extra appendages drive me insane the most I think about it on an Established Relationship(tm) theme- Angel has six arms. Six hands that would (and did, ep7) find anything on their past to stroke, hold and cherish. Imagine they are lying down and he starts to pet Husk with a pair, hold his paws with another and hug him close with the remaining- the last one being special because they are usually reserved for fighting. But not tonight, tonight he wants to love and be loved. They are also great for massaging- which is fortunate when you are dating a perpetual old man with an fursona. Extra Kudos if he has his spider beans out- because self-acceptance when next to the one you love and shit.

Husk on his part has a tail that he occasionally (and sometimes even subconsciously) wraps around his partner's legs, mostly whenever they kiss or snuggle. It's also a more subtle showcase of affection/support whenever they are in public. I already mentioned Angel uses his hands to love in multiple ways but sometimes Husk would just..... grab them all with those massive paws of his, cause he wants to feel Angel on his entirely without having to get naked. And ofc- HIS WINGS- if Angel wants to do what I said initially, Husk would always respond by covering them both with his wings- like a cocoon of protection and warmth. He also can't do the whole "Giving your partner your jacket when they are cold or their clothes got ripped and they leave very little to the imagination bit" because...well, he doesn't wear a top xd so whenever Angel has a bad day, his clothes are ripped and he just wants a hug, Husk would cover him with his wings.

Anyways I think they should also fuck nasty on their demons forms that would be fun-

[becomingbuffypodcast]

S7. Ep7. Conversations With Dead People

Awarded the 2003 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form, and named by Joss Whedon as one of his top 10 favorite episodes, “Conversations with Dead People” is one of only two episodes in the whole series that has the episode title appear on screen at the beginning and is the only episode with a specific date and time given. Interestingly, the date and time matched the original air date, which would have created a sense of a fourth-wall break for the audience, especially since there were no time jumps between commercial breaks.

Each of the four plots were written by a different writer, with Drew Goddard writing the Trio scenes, Jane Espenson writing the Dawn scenes, Marti Noxon writing the Willow scenes, and Joss Whedon writing the Buffy scenes. Scrapped ideas included The First appearing to Xander and Anya in the forms of Jesse and Halfrek; however neither Eric Balfour nor Kali Rocha were available, making this the only episode of the series where Xander does not appear in. Tara was also slated to return for the scenes with Willow, and the shooting script even includes all their scenes and dialogue in place of Cassie’s. Ultimately, Amber Benson turned down the appearance due to scheduling and a desire not to taint Tara’s character by having her appear as the villain.

In typical episode 7 fashion, “CwDP” jumps straight into the main season arc through the characters’ introduction to the big bad and the emphasis on the themes of connection vs fear/isolation. While entertaining, creepy, and surprisingly cohesive despite multiple storylines happening at once, what hampers the episode most is the season’s failure to deliver on the characterization, storylines, and plot points that it builds up in this moment. Sadly, this is the most terrifying that the First will ever be.

🎙️ Listen to the episode wherever you stream your podcasts!

💛 Becoming Buffy Podcast is a rewatch podcast that focuses on the themes, metaphors and foreshadowing of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

#buffy #becomingbuffy #buffythevampireslayer #becomingbuffypodcast #conversationswithdeadpeople #btvs #buffypodcast #tvshow #sarahmichellegellar